B2
OUTDOORS
» SEE MORE ONLINE AT WWW.REDDEERADVOCATE.COM
Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013
Silence speaks volumes FOR THE FIRST — AND SECOND TIMES — DEAD SILENCE AT FISH AND GAME ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE The Alberta cabinet minister responsible for fish, wildlife and public land (Lands and Forests, Sustainable Resource Development, whatever), always addresses the delegates at the annual conference of the Alberta Fish and Game Association. Up to this year’s conference in Red Deer, Feb. 21 – 23, I had listened to 47 straight of them, even stood for the very odd standBOB ing ovation; SCAMMELL but it took to my 48th conference for a minister to cause, not just the first in my memory, but two dead, stunned silences. The first came when, at the very last moment, it was announced that the new minister of Environment — Sustainable Resource Development, Hon. Diana McQueen, would not be in attendance, but that Red Deer North MLA, Mary Anne Jablonski, would deliver the minister’s speech. The line was that the minister had to accompany the Premier to an “emergency” meeting in Washington to sell the Keystone XL pipeline to assembled state governors. I was reminded of the minister and the Premier hastening, on June 8th, to Glennifer Lake, downstream of the Plains Midstream pipeline spill of 3000 barrels of light sour crude into the Red Deer River, to hustle the premier’s hype “that we don’t have pipeline spills very often, and, when we do, we have plans in place to deal with them.” But we digress. MLA Jablonski ably delivered and enlivened a dull ministerial aide-ghosted speech with personal outdoors anecdotes. But near the end, the absent ventriloquist minister said, through her willing but unwitting MLA, that SRD’s Chronic Wasting Disease testing program has helped limit the spread of the disease, “which we believe has been contained.” The sudden, stunning stupidity of that statement brought that second dead silence, so thick that you couldn’t have cut it with a laser. Much later that same day, Dr. Margo Pybus, Sustainable Resource Development’s specialist in wildlife parasites and diseases, gave delegates the straight story that the always fatal CWD continues its relentless numerical and territorial spread through Alberta’s deer, and that Alberta has recently become the first
OUTDOORS
Photo by BOB SCAMMELL/freelance
New AFGA executive members: (from left, Doug Butler, VP, Gordon Poirier, President, and Wayne Lowry, VP.
‘THE SUDDEN, STUNNING STUPIDITY OF THAT STATEMENT BROUGHT THAT SECOND DEAD SILENCE, SO THICK THAT YOU COULDN’T HAVE CUT IT WITH A LASER.’ — BOB SCAMMELL, WRITING ABOUT MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS ON CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE
jurisdiction in Canada to confirm the disease has “jumped” to a moose. If the minister can’t consult, or doesn’t believe her own specialist, then Dr. Neil Cashman, one of the world’s foremost experts, says “CWD is spreading like wildfire … it is arguably the most contagious prion disease, and the human health impact is unknown.” The gaffe did provide conference gag-lines, such as Hunting Chair, Doug Butler, remarking dryly at the mike how glad he was to hear that CWD was under control, and another delegate wondering if we should break out the champagne to celebrate “containment.” Delegates were annoyed by the unusually sparse SRD presence at the conference, from the minister on down. A past AFGA president, Maurice Nadeau, told delegates: “SRD were invited; they should be here to receive the criticism they deserve.” One SRD fish and wildlife manager who was in attendance, Matt Besko, told delegates that SRD is receiving considerable feed-back on barbless hooks “before we go back to the feds,”
and that it is running about 50 – 50 for and again, “which is surprising, since we know there’s no scientific proof it does any good.” Why, then, are we even considering re-imposing useless, annoying, mandatory barbless? Things improved at the Annual General Meeting on Saturday, with reports that: ● AFGA membership stood at 24,118 as at Dec. 31, 2013, a number not seen since the mid-seventies, and 3000 more members than last year. ● The AFGA Wildlife Trust grew by 3000 acres last year, now totaling 40,000 acres at 80 sites all over the province, and all open to the outdoors recreational enjoyment of all Albertans. ● At the annual Parade of Donations just before lunch on Saturday, delegates lined up, and, in seven minutes, donated $98,350.00 to the AFGA, most of it earmarked for the Wildlife Trust Fund. ● That, as of December, the AFGA has a five-year agreement to market and sell six Minister’s Special Licences, two each for three species: bighorn sheep, mule deer and white
tailed deer, three of which, auctioned recently in Reno, brought $202,000 for Alberta wildlife conservation, and the AFGA will be raffling the remaining three. This was an election year, and delegates seemed euphoric that things were going to get even better after surviving four years with two indifferent presidents, with the presidential potential of several persons in new positions on the executive. First vice president, Gordon Poirier, of Bonnyville, became president by acclamation, as did talented Wayne Lowry, of Stirling, move from Finance Chair and second VP to first. Hard working, quick-witted Hunting Chair, Doug Butler, of Lamont, was acclaimed second VP. Impressive new blood came on to the executive with the acclamation of Life Member, Dr. Daryl Smith, of Crooked Creek, as Fishing Chair, and, in the only contest, Ian Stuart of Innisfail, was elected Hunting Chair. Bob Scammell is an award-winning columnist who lives in Red Deer. He can be reached at bscam@telusplanet.net.
Shrubs need proper pruning Shrubs are planted to add color, from the roots and should be removed block views and to distinguish one from all plants except hedges. yard from the next. Watersprouts are branches that To keep shrubs healthy and attrac- have grown straight upwards without tive they should be pruned on a regu- any sideshoots. lar basis; at least every couThey are usually caused ple of years. by to sever of pruning the Before pruning collect previous year or winterkill. the necessary tools. Take A plant that looses too time to insure the tools are much growth will put out sharp as dull tools make a large amount of straggly poor cuts or tears that are growth trying to make up for harder to heal. what it lost. Approach the shrub This new growth is oflooking at the plants shape ten weak and unattractive. and size. Watersprouts can often be Full plants will benefit avoided by not removing from being thinned while more than a quarter of the thin plants can be pruned plant in a season. back to encourage more Once dead, diseased branching. wood and suckers have been LINDA Start by removing any removed look at the pile TOMLINSON branch that is dead or disof cut wood and the shrub eased. Dead branches are to see if more wood can be easily distinguished even removed. If not, wait until without leaves. next year to shape the shrub. The wood will not be flexible. Wood If more branches can be removed, that has been dead for a period of time take them from the centre of the plant will have loose bark. to allow light to penetrate which will When grabbed with a bare hand encourage new growth. If light already dead wood will become warm. Live reaches the centre of the plant prune wood will stay cool. the tips back to encourage a bushier When removing any branch cut back plant to the ground, another branch or a Lastly, prune the plant to the denode. Stumps that are left will crack, sired shape. rot and make it harder for the plant to All deciduous plants can be pruned heal. when they are dormant but it can make Diseased wood will look different a difference in this year’s blooms. from the rest of the branches and most Shrubs that bloom before the middle likely be dead. Remove all the wood of June set their flowerbuds the previthat is diseased and dispose of it by ous summer. burning it immediately or by double Pruning at this time of year will rebagging it and making sure it gets to move the flowers. the landfill. Plants that bloom after mid June Next look for branches that are such as Mock Orange set flowerbuds in growing inwards or rubbing on other the spring before they bloom. Pruning branched. Branches that rub togeth- now will not remove flowers. er will have abrasions or holes in the Shrubs are very forgiving plants. bark which will let in insects and dis- When the wrong branch or too many eases. branches are removed, they will usuDeciding which of the offending ally grow back within a few years. branches to remove can be a dilemma. Pruning rejuvenates the plant, keepIt is best to remove the branches that ing it healthy and strong. grow towards the center of the plant or the ones that rub more than one other Linda Tomlinson is a horticulturalist branch. that lives near Rocky Mountain House. Always remove suckers and water- She can be reached at www.igardencanasprouts. Suckers are plants that grow da.com or your_garden@hotmail.com
GARDENING
SPORTS Your Local
GREG MEACHEM
Greg Meachem has been with the Advocate since May 1981 and was appointed sports editor in 2006. He has covered numerous sporting events over the years, including the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics, the 1990 world figure skating championship in Halifax and numerous NHL playoff series between the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers. He has been the Advocate’s main Western Hockey League correspondent since the inception of the Red Deer Rebels in 1992.
Email your sports and news events to
sports@reddeeradvocate.com